Patriotism. A good thing? A bad thing? A neutral thing? We don't know. But what we do know is that patriotism is definitely a bad thing when it gets too big for its britches and starts deciding that Country X is way better than all the other letters of the alphabet and should therefore get all the things all the time. That's not just patriotism; that's nationalism run wild.
Not cool, country X. Not cool.
In Mother Night, Vonnegut ups the ante on his exploration of twisted patriotism by giving us a protagonist who is an apolitical Nazi. Talk about a contradiction in terms, since Nazis are one of the most terrifying reminders of the nightmare patriotic nationalism can bring on.
Questions About Patriotism
- How does the text differentiate between patriotism and nationalism?
- Are there instances when Campbell might be patriotic? When?
- Where does Wirtanen seem to stand on the issue of patriotism?
Chew on This
None of the characters are actually patriotic, not even the Nazis.
Campbell is patriotic; he just doesn't realize it.